Swiftech H20-8600 AMD A64 water cooling kit review

Today we are taking a closer look at one of Swiftech?s all-in-one water cooling kits. Aimed at the novice user out there it promises easy installation and decent performance. Can their H20-8600 kit deliver? Let?s find out.

CPU water block

The block

On the internet you find a large amount of water block reviews. Some of them have extravagant designs. What about this one?

The water block is the MCW6000. This is a 100% copper block (C110 copper). Inside there are 281 small pins for better heat dissipation. The block has not a perfect mirror finish, though it is very decently finished and lapped.

More technical information:

3/8" inlet and outlet tubes soldered to the housing

Tested up to 25 psi (1.7 bars)

This separate package contains:

MCW6000 (duh !)

Athlon 64 hold-down bracket

2 screws included the matching springs

Short manual with extra information

Parts needed nor connecting tubing to the block.

The installation of this block on an A64 setup is very easy, as you need to use the bracket that comes with the mainboard. This is a good thing because removing this can sometimes be a very hard (e.g.: on the MSI Neo the back plate is glued to the mainboard)

Place the block on the CPU, after you added the thermal grease, put the hold down clip over the block and screw it into the bracket. All this requires no mainboard removal, quite an advantage. There are two ways to attach the tubing. The first way is the classical way. Shove the tubing over the in-and outlets from the block and then tighten them with worm drive hose clamps.

The easier way is by applying the quick-connect fittings. Click one side over the block and push the tubing into the other end.

When pushing the tubing into the quick-connect fittings a decent amount of force is needed. You would ease this by greasing the ends of the tubing with soap. (This is also explained in the manual.)

When using a P4 or A64 it’s quite safe to install the block before actually connecting the tubing, but when using an Athlon XP it is recommended to mount the water block after the tubes have been installed.

With the CPU block installed, let’s take a closer look at the pump which will push cool air through the block ->